Process and apparatus for treating industrial effluent water with activtated media

ABSTRACT

In a process for treating effluent water, a stream of effluent water is fed to a porous ceramic media filled reactor. Organic and inorganic impurities are absorbed and/or oxidized from the effluent water into the media and/or off-gases. The remainder of the effluent water stream is dispensed from the reactor in an outlet stream suitable for direct discharge to the sea or for recycling without incurring the disadvantages of generating a solid sludge. The reactor includes a chamber containing activated media, such as pellets of porous ceramic material. The pellets are stored in a vertical stacks of sub chambers defined by horizontal perforated trays and/or in a horizontal chains of sub chambers defined by vertical perforated baffles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to waste water treatment and moreparticularly concerns the treatment of hazardous waste waters such asthe effluent water discharged from hydrocarbon processing facilities,general industrial facilities or contaminated municipal water supplies.

The effluent water discharging from a hydrocarbon processing facilitycontains oil components, phenols, gas components such as H₂S and NH₃.Similarly, chemical and industrial processes use water in theiroperations for cooling, quenching, pH adjustment and washing of varioushydrocarbon streams, usually resulting in the creation of an effluentwater stream containing inorganic and organic contaminants. Tank farmoperations, marine facilities and ships contain effluent water and soiland ground water reservoirs are occasionally contaminated by oil andchemical spills.

The Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 hasfocused the attention of both industry and government on the problems ofland and water way disposal of untreated hazardous waste from industrialfacilities, including hydrocarbon processing facilities and oil and gasoperating facilities, and encouraged the development of alternativehazardous waste treatment technologies to immobilize and/or destroy thewaste either in situ, in previously disposed waste or at the wastegeneration site. More recent federal legislation, such as theComprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act(CERCLA) of 1980, encourages the development and adoption of hazardouswaste treatment and destruction processes that would eventuallyeliminate the need for land disposal of hazardous waste including watereffluent from hydrocarbon processing facilities, except for the disposalresidues from treatment operations. Despite the focused attention on theproblems, various studies estimate such hazardous waste is generated bythe petroleum refining industry at a rate of more than one million tonsper year.

The biological treatment of waste streams is based on the ability of amixed population of microorganisms to utilize organic contaminants asnutrients. The two major classes of known biological treatments areaerobic with oxygen and anaerobic without oxygen. Because biologicalsystems contain living organisms, they require specific ratios of carbonand nutrients. Most organisms function within a relatively neutral pHrange between 6.0 and 8.0. High concentrations of toxic and organicsubstances such as cyanide, arsenic, and heavy metal ions and solutionssuch as copper, lead and zinc inhibit enzyme formation in themicroorganisms and eventually kill them. Consequently, some wastestreams are not treatable by known biological treatment processes.

Wet air oxidation, generally considered to be a pre-treatment process,is used to economically treat aqueous wastes containing both organic andinorganic toxics in waste streams too dilute to incinerate and too toxicto biotreat. The process alters chemical structure by low temperatureoxidation of the waste so that toxic compounds become nontoxic. In knownwet air oxidation processes, depending on the waste, the off gas mayhave to be scrubbed or otherwise treated to remove any low molecularweight hydrocarbons present. If an ionic catalyst must be added to thereactor to improve conversion efficiency, a catalyst regenerator must beadded to the process. Elevated temperatures ranging from 175-325° C. andresidence times ranging from 60-120 minutes are typically required foroxidation of the waste. Most problematic is that process pressure mustbe maintained between 300-3000 psig to prevent excessive evaporation ofliquid. And the typical construction materials appropriate for wet airoxidation reactors are stainless steel, nickel and titanium alloys.

Chemical oxidation has been found to be effective in the treatment ofcertain industrial and domestic wastewater and is one of the fewprocesses for removing odor, color and various potentially toxic organicsubstances such as phenolics, pesticides and industrial solvents. Italso disinfects tranquil water by killing or inactivating pathogenicmicroorganisms that may be present. The chemical oxidants employedinclude chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone and hydrogen peroxide. Knownchemical oxidation processes involve a relatively high operating costand the chemicals used are consumed in the process.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a process andapparatus useful to treat effluent from hydrocarbon processingfacilities. It is also an object of this invention to provide a processand apparatus useful to permit the effluent water discharging from ahydrocarbon processing facility to be recycled or reused. A furtherobject of this invention is to provide a process and apparatus useful topermit the effluent water discharging from a hydrocarbon processingfacility to be recycled without treatment at a wastewater disposalplant. Still another object of this invention is to provide a processand apparatus useful to treat effluent from a hydrocarbon processingfacility at the facility. Another object of this invention is to providea process and apparatus useful to treat hazardous wastes that havealready entered the water table or landfills. Yet another object of thisinvention is to provide a process and apparatus useful to immobilizeand/or destroy previously disposed waste in situ. An additional objectof this invention is to provide a process and apparatus useful to reducethe need for land disposal of hazardous waste other than the disposalresidues from treatment operations. It is also an object of thisinvention to provide a process and apparatus useful to treating a widerange of waste streams. A further object of this invention is to providea process and apparatus characterized by economically feasible pressure,temperature and residence time requirements in hazardous waste treatmentapplications. And it is an object of this invention is to provide aprocess and apparatus characterized by optimized rates of chemical andenergy consumption in the treatment of hazardous waste.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, a process and apparatus are providedfor treating effluent water from oil field and industrial facilitieswith activated media such as porous ceramics so as to reduce residuesrequiring disposal from treatment operations sufficiently to allowdischarge of the effluent water to the sea directly or to recycle theeffluent water for other purposes without incurring the disadvantage ofgenerating a solid sludge.

The process and apparatus for treating effluent water includes use of aprimary separator for removing oil components from the effluent waterstream, a secondary separator for removing emulsion type oil componentsfrom the effluent water stream and a reactor for absorbing and/oroxidizing organic and/or inorganic impurities such as phenols and BTXand MTBE from the effluent water using the activated media. An airsupply device is used to mix the effluent water and activated media. Inaddition, an agitator may be used to physically mix the effluent waterand the activated media in the reaction tank. Sieve trays, structuredpacking, baffles, or other internals may be used in the configuration ofthe reactor, depending upon the specific application, the nature andcomposition of the impurities and desired level of contaminantreduction.

In the effluent water treatment process, a stream of effluent water isfed to a reactor filled with porous ceramic media. Organic and inorganicimpurities are absorbed from the effluent water into, and/or oxidizedby, the porous ceramic media. The remainder of the effluent water streamexits the reactor in an outlet stream. Insoluble oil components may beseparated from the effluent water stream prior to feeding the stream tothe media filled reactor. Emulsion oil components may also be separatedfrom the effluent water stream prior to feeding the stream to the mediafilled reactor. The total organic content and the suspended solidscontent of the feed stream upstream of the reactor may be monitored andthe reactor automatically by-passed in response to a determination thateither is less than a predetermined standard. The monitored totalorganic content and the total suspended solids content of the feedstream upstream of the reactor and the reactor feed rate may also beused to automatically calculate the air flow rate and feed streamresidence time in the reactor. Flow of the feed stream to the reactormay be automatically terminated in response to a determination that thetotal organic content or the total suspended solids content of the feedstream upstream of the reactor is greater than a predetermined maximum.The total organic content of the effluent stream downstream of thereactor may be monitored and the effluent stream may be automaticallyreturned to the upstream feed stream in response to determination thatthe total organic content of the effluent downstream of the reactor ismore than a predetermined maximum.

The reactor has a chamber which contains pellets of porous ceramicmedia. A first inlet port receives the effluent water into the chamber.A second inlet port admits an oxidizing agent into the chamber. A firstoutlet port discharges air and combustion products from the chamber. Asecond outlet port discharges the remainder of the effluent water fromthe chamber. The pellets may be stored in vertical stacks of subchambers defined by horizontal perforated trays, in a horizontal chainof sub chambers defined by at least one vertical perforated baffle or ina combination of vertical and horizontal sub-chambers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and upon reference to thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the process and apparatus fortreating effluent water in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the instruments and controlsassociated with the feed surge of the water treatment system;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the instruments and controlsassociated with the primary separator of the water treatment system;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the instruments and controlsassociated with the secondary separator of the water treatment system;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the first of two sets ofinstruments and controls associated with the reactor of the watertreatment system;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the second of two sets ofinstruments and controls associated with the reactor of the watertreatment system;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the mediafilled reactor;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating embodiments of a by-passsystem, a backflush system and an exhaust blower system for use withreactor;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the air flowsystem of the reactor;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the post-reactor instrumentsand controls of the water treatment system; and

FIG. 11 is a control schematic logic diagram for the water treatmentsystem.

While the invention will be described in connection with preferredembodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is not intended tolimit the invention to those embodiments or to the details of theconstruction or arrangement of parts or of the process steps illustratedin the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the description, some flow lines connect system components which areillustrated in different Figures. Such flow lines have been identifiedby one or more capital letters with a superscripted asterisk and asubscript number. Each letter with superscripted asterisk indicates aparticular flow line. The subscript indicates the other Figureassociated with the flow line. For example, looking at FIG. 2, theidentifier H₁₀* is used with respect to the flow path from the output ofa valve 29. Turning to FIG. 10, as indicated by the subscript in FIG. 2,the identifier H₂* continues the H* flow path to the output of anothervalve 142. Conversely, continuing to look at FIG. 10, the subscript ofthe identifier H₂* indicates that the other end of the flow line H* willbe found in FIG. 2.

The System

Turning first to FIG. 1, a system for treating effluent water Wdischarged from oil field and industrial facilities includes a primaryseparator 30 for removing insoluble oil components and suspended solidsI from the effluent water W, a secondary separator 50 for removingemulsion type oil components E from the effluent water W and a reactor90 filled with porous ceramic media for reacting organic and/orinorganic impurities R such as BTX, phenols, methanol and MTBE from theeffluent water W. As hereinafter described, surge tanks, distributors,pumps and recycle lines may be installed between and/or around theprimary separator 30, secondary separator 50 and/or the activated mediafilled reactor 90 to facilitate operation of the system and to handleprocess upset conditions at the hydrocarbon processing or oil fieldfacility. However, depending on the application, use of the primaryseparator 30 and/or the secondary separator 50 and related equipment andsteps as hereinafter described may be omitted.

The stream of effluent water W discharged from the hydrocarbonprocessing facility or oil and gas production facility may includeinsoluble oil components I_(o) and suspended solids I_(s) and oremulsion-type oil components E as well as other organic and inorganicimpurities R. It may be desirable to remove some or all of the insolubleoil components I_(o) and suspended solids I_(s) and/or some or all ofthe emulsion type components E from the initial stream of effluent waterW before removing the impurities R. Insolubles I, in general, areintended to include insoluble oils I_(o) and insoluble solids I_(s)Thus, the total stream of effluent water W may be fed to the activatedmedia filled reactor 90 and its associated components, or the totalstream of effluent water W less all or some of either or both theinsolubles I and emulsions E, that is W−I, W−E or W−I−E, might be fed tothe activated media filled reactor 90 and its associated components.

It should not be inferred that the primary separator 30 or the secondaryseparator 50 must remove all the insolubles I and emulsions E from theinitial stream of effluent water W. Nor should it be inferred that thefunction of the primary separator 30 or the secondary separator 50 mustbe performed, if at all, by a single primary separator 30 or a singlesecondary separator 50. The efficiency of the reactor 90 is adverselyimpacted by the impurities content of the input W−I−E to the reactor 90.It is, therefore, desirable to monitor and control the operation of anyprimary and secondary separators 30 and 50 in the system and, in extremeconditions, to shut down the operation of the reactor 90 until the W−I−Emeets acceptable standards.

Continuing to look at FIG. 1, the equipment in the input stream ofeffluent water W to the primary separator 30 may include a feed surgetank 10 and a distributor 20. The feed surge tank 10 serves to averagethe flow of effluent water through the system of separators and reactorsand the distributor 20 serves to monitor, control and stabilize the flowof effluent water through the system of separators and reactors. Oncefed into the feed surge tank 10, the insoluble oil components I_(o),having a low specific gravity, migrate to the upper portion of the feedsurge tank 10 and are discharged to a slop oil tank (not shown) residingin the user's facility. These components I_(o) may be reprocessed by theoperator of the oil field or hydrocarbon processing facility. As is wellknown, the efficiency of the separation in the feed surge tank 10 can beenhanced by the installation of filters, inclined plates or baffles inand/or the application of heat to the feed surge tank 10. The remainingwater component W−I_(o), having a high specific gravity, remains in thelower portion of the feed surge tank 10 and is caused to flow underlevel control to the primary separator 30 by use of pumps as required.

The effluent water less the removed solids W−I exits the primaryseparator 30 and is fed to the secondary separator 50 through adistributor 40. The distributor 40 monitors, controls and stabilizes theflow. In the secondary separator 50, the effluent water W−I is optimallymixed with naphtha, air, natural gas or other agent to remove theemulsion type oil components E. The removed components E are collectedin a waste tank 51 for sale, recycling or use as fuel in heaters orelectro-generators.

The effluent water W−I−E discharged from the secondary separator 50 ispassed through a reactor feed tank distributor 60, a reactor feed tank70 and a reactor distributor 80 which are serially installed between thesecondary separator 50 and the activated media reactor 90 to prevent theeffluent water W−I−E from flowing into the activated media reactor 90 incase of failure by the secondary separator 50 to properly prepare itsdischarge W−I−E for feeding into the reactor 90, thus protecting theintegrity of the activated media. In the reactor 90, other impurities Rare removed, resulting in the desired effluent product W−I−E−R.

The distributors 60 and 80 include the instruments and controlsassociated with the reactor feed tank 70 and the reactor 90. The systemmay also include a bypass system 110, a backwash system 120 and/or apost-reactor distributor 140 to further protect the reactor 90.

In the following description of the components of the system, logicrelated primarily to the component described is included in the Figureassociated with the component. Logic related to multiple components isfurther integrated into FIG. 11.

The Primary Separator Feed Surge Tank 10

Looking at FIGS. 1 and 2, the feed surge tank 10 has a low-low levelindicator 11 which uses logic L-21 to shut down the feed pump 21, seenin FIG. 2, if the level of the tank 10 is low enough to jeopardize theintegrity of the feed pump 21, as would occur if the feed pump 21 wereallowed to run dry. The feed surge tank 10 also has low level 12 andhigh level 14 indicators which serve as alarms to alert the user ofabnormal conditions. The feed surge tank 10 also has a high-high levelindicator 13 which sends a signal to the user's process control systemto indicate that the water treatment process module cannot take morefeed for the moment. Waste water flows under the tank overflow baffle.Undissolved oil and organic material I_(o) float on top of the water andare drained off to the slop oil tank in the user's facility. Some solidmaterial suspended in the plant waste water which enters the feed surgetank 10 may sink to the bottom of the tank 10. A sludge drain permitsperiodic removal of the collected solids.

The water to be treated in the primary separator 30 flows under theunderflow baffle of the feed surge tank 10 to the feed pump 21. The feedsurge tank level is controlled by a level controller 22 and a flow valve23. The temperature of the water exiting the surge tank 10 is measuredwith a temperature transmitter 24. The level controller 22 is cascadedto a primary flow controller 25 to measure the flow rate of the waterexiting the surge tank 10. Where practical, it is preferable toeliminate level controller 22 and have the flow controller 25 retain auser-entered set-point to fix the feed-flow at the maximum rate themodule can accept and let the user's process maintain the level of feedsurge tank 10. This would maintain a more constant flow through thewater treatment module.

The Primary Separator Distributor 20

The primary separator distributor 20, illustrated in greater detail inFIG. 2, includes the instruments and controls associated with theprimary separator 30, hereafter described in FIG. 3.

The feed pump 21 supplies the motive force for the effluent stream fromthe tank 10. Its continued operation is subject to certain conditionsand shutdowns hereinafter described. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 11, the feedpump 21 preferably has a control-panel-located emergency shutdown buttonL-21 a, a field-located emergency shut-down button L-21 c, and anautomatic shutdown controlled by the feed pump logic L-21. Preferably,when the feed pump 21 is shut down by its logic L-21, a reset buttonL-21 b must be pressed before it can be re-started. This allows the usertime to investigate the cause of the shutdown and avoids suddenre-starts before causation is established. At the outlet of the feedsurge tank 10, a fast-acting analyzer 26 measures the total organiccarbon content of the feed stream. An associated indicator L-26 sends asignal to bypass logic L-29 which will bypass the feed stream around thewater treatment module whenever the feed stream is clean enough to notneed treatment. This is accomplished by opening the bypass valve 29shown in FIG. 2 and closing the primary separator valves 32 a and 33 aseen in FIG. 3, shutting down the reactor feed pump 83 seen in FIG. 6and the treated water transfer pump 143 seen in FIG. 10, and shuttingthe secondary separator outlet valve 62 seen in FIG. 5. This preventsunnecessary processing of acceptable water and extends the life of themodule. The concentration of organics in the water exiting the tank 10,as measured by the organic content analyzer 26 and the feed rate 25 areused to calculate the air flow rate and residence time required fordesired dissolved organic reaction in the reactor 90. As previouslydescribed, if the concentration of organics in the water exiting thetank 10 meets the requirements of the treated water supply stream 28,the water is directed to the treated water supply stream 28 withoutfurther treating by means of a bypass solenoid valve 29. If theconcentration of organics in the water exiting the tank 10 does not meetthe requirements of the treated water supply stream 28, the water isdirected to the primary separator 30. At the outlet of the feed surgetank 10, the analyzer 27 measures the total suspended solids in the feedstream. When feed stream solids exceed a trigger point, an associatedindicator L-27 sends a signal to the pump logic L-21 to shut down thefeed pump 21 in order not to overwhelm the process with a feed thatwould plug the inlet filters quickly. An alarm is also sent to theuser's process control system indicating that the stream has too manysolids to process through the water treatment module.

The Primary Separator 30

Looking at FIG. 3, the effluent water less the skimmed hydrocarbonsenters the primary separator 30, which may consist of a set of in-lineparallel filters 32 and 33. The purpose of the primary separator 30 isto remove solids and/or sediment in the feed stream which, above apre-specified limit, could damage reactor components and causeundesirable opacity in the product stream.

The filters 32 and 33 normally operate with one filter in-line with thefeed stream and one held in readiness after undergoing a backwash cycle.A switch of filters and subsequent backwashing of the newly off-linefilter is triggered by the in-line filter pressure drop reaching apre-determined threshold. The backwash logic module L-30 coordinates theflushing of solids from the selected filter via eight valves 32 a, b, c,d and 33 a, b, c, d into a receiver tank 31. The tank 31, via a valve 31a, dumps a solid-laden clean effluent periodically to maintain its levelbetween predetermined values. The pressure drop across the filters 32and 33 is measured by gauges 34 and 35, respectively, and if thepressure drop on either of the filters 32 or 33 reaches a trigger value,associated alarms L-34 and L-35 will send a signal to the filterbackwash logic L-30 which then isolates and performs backwash operationson the appropriate filter 32 or 33 and sets it in a “ready” status forthe next high-high filter pressure drop condition. At any given time,the backwash logic L-30 is responsible for the position of the inletvalves 32 a and 33 a, except when the bypass logic block L-29 is holdingthe filter inlet valves 32 a and 33 a closed. Backwash of the filters 32or 33 is performed by opening either one pair of solenoid valves 33 cand 33 d for one filter 33 or another pair of solenoid valves 32 c and32 d for the other filter 32. A slop oil tank 31 receives the backwashfrom the filters 32 and 33. As the contents of this tank 31 are high insolids, a ball valve 31 a is opened whenever the indicator L-39associated with a level controller 39 sends a high-high signal to thedump logic L-31. This allows the sediment-laden effluent to “blowthrough” the ball valve 31 a instead of plugging it.

The Secondary Separator Distributor 40

The secondary separator distributor 40, illustrated in greater detail inFIG. 4, includes the instruments and controls associated with thesecondary separator 50. The concentration of total suspended solids inthe water exiting the primary separator 30 is measured with a totalsuspended solids analyzer 41 before being passed to a venturi tube 42.The analyzer 41 is located just downstream of the separator 30. When atotal suspended solids trigger value is reached, its associatedindicator L-41 sends a signal to the feed pump logic L-21, seen in FIGS.2 and 11, which will shut down the feed pump 21 in order not to sendsolids to the downstream reactor 90, whose activated media 91 would bedeactivated or plugged by the solids. The air to the venturi 42 isregulated by ratio control through flow valves 43 and 44. Flowcontrollers 45 and 46 receive remote set-points from a ratio controller47 which holds the total air going into the venturi 42 at a constantratio with the process feed rate at the flow controller 25 in theprimary separator distributor 20 as seen in FIG. 2. The ratiocalculation logic L-40 calculates the sum of flows measured by the flowcontrollers 45 and 46 for use as the air input measurement of the ratiocontroller 47, calculates the ratio of air to feed for the ratiocontroller 47, splits the output of the ratio controller 47 equally tothe flow controllers 45 and 46 and calculates the ratio of reactor airto feed for the feed/reactor air ratio logic L-120 as seen in FIG. 9. Asshown, the user enters the ratio set-point directly into the controller47. However, it is likely that this will become a remote set-point ifthe ratio has a direct effect on the total organic content measured byan analyzer 61 in the secondary separator effluent as hereinafter seenin FIG. 5. The well-mixed water and air enters the secondary separator50, which is envisioned as a floatation cell, hydroclone or similardevice.

The Secondary Separator 50

In the likelihood that the secondary separator 50 contains an upperlayer of hydrocarbon emulsion under normal operation, it is desirablenot to allow this emulsion to drain down into the reactor feed surgetank 70, seen in FIG. 1, and subsequently contaminate the activatedmedia in the reactor 90. Therefore, the secondary separator 50 works inconjunction with an emulsion waste tank 51. The emulsion layer normallywill overflow into the emulsion waste tank 51. The level of the emulsionwaste tank 51 is monitored by a level indicator 54. One indicator L-54 asends an alarm to the operator when the level reaches a preset highvalue and another indicator L-54 b, seen in FIG. 11, sends a shutdownsignal to the feed pump logic L-21 at a preset trigger high-high levelto prevent overflow of this material into the reactor vent system, whichis boosted by an exhaust blower 53, as seen in FIG. 1. A manual drainvalve 52 may be opened periodically by the user to drain the emulsionwaste tank 51. This loop can be automated.

The Reactor Feed Tank Distributor 60

When flow stops to the secondary separator 50 for any reason, theemulsion layer will flow by gravity into the reactor feed tank 70 unlessthe drain valve 62 from the secondary separator 50 is closed. As seen inFIGS. 5 and 11, anti-drain-down logic L-60 of the feed surge tankdistributor 60 monitors all conditions which may result in a drain-downof the secondary separator 50. This includes all conditions in which thefeed pump 21 has been shut down, among others. The emulsion exits thesecondary separator 50 and is collected in the emulsion waste tank 51,as seen in FIG. 1. Air and vapors are directed to a vent or a flare oringested in a gas engine or fired heater. The water W−I−E exits thesecondary separator 50 and the total organic content of the water ismeasured with a total organic content analyzer 61, as seen in FIG. 5. Ifthe total organic content of the water W−I−E exceeds a predetermined setpoint, typically 1,000 parts per million, the solenoid valve 62immediately closes, to prevent drain-down and to protect the reactor 90from fouling. The exact value varies according to the demands of thespecific application. The bottoms outlet temperature of the secondaryseparator 50 is measured by a temperature transmitter 63 and thisinformation is used to optimize the control of the reactor 90. The waterW−I−E is directed from the distributor 60 to the reactor feed tank 70.

The Reactor Distributor 80

The distributor 80 to the reactor 90 is illustrated in greater detail inFIG. 6. The reactor feed tank 70 receives the bottoms effluent from thesecondary separator 50 and serves as the feed surge tank for the reactor90. Its bottoms level controller 81 controls the effluent rate from thefeed tank 70 which is the feed to the reactor 90. As seen in FIG. 11,the feed tank 70 has a low-low indicator L-70 a which works with thereactor feed pump logic L-83 to shut down the reactor feed pump 83 ifthe level of the reactor feed tank 70 is low enough to jeopardize theintegrity of the feed pump 83 which would occur if the pump 83 wereallowed to run dry. Looking at FIG. 1, the reactor feed tank 70 also haslow level and high level indicators L-70 b and L-70 c, respectively,which serve as alarms to alert the user to abnormal conditions.Returning to FIG. 11, the reactor feed tank 70 has a high-high levelindicator L-70 d which sends a signal to the primary separator feed pumplogic L-21 shown in FIG. 2 to shut down the primary separator feed pump21 and also sends a message to the user's process control system thatthe water treatment process module cannot take more feed for the moment.As seen in FIG. 6, the reactor feed pump 83 supplies the motive forcefor the demulsified water from the reactor feed tank 70 which suppliesboth reactor feed 85 and backwash source 86 streams. Its continuedoperation is subject to certain conditions and shutdowns describedabove. The reactor feed pump 83 has a control-panel-located emergencyshut-down button L-83 a, a field-located emergency shut-down button L-83c and an automatic shut-down controlled by the feed pump logic L-83.When the reactor feed pump 83 is shut down by its logic L-83, a resetbutton L-83 b must be pressed before it can be restarted. This allowsthe user time to investigate the cause of the shutdown and avoids suddenrestarts before causation is established.

Looking at FIGS. 6-8, a pressure transmitter 84 measures the pressure inthe distribution nozzles 102 of the reactor 90. This pressure is afunction of the flow rate out of the reactor feed tank 70, which iscontrolled by the level controller 81, the pressure boost supplied bythe reactor feed pump 83 and the number of nozzles 102 open to thereactor inlet flow. The control system allows input of a minimumacceptable pressure L-80 a and opens or closes successive banks ofnozzles 102 to maintain this value. This is accomplished by the usersetting a minimum pressure L-80 a as a set-point to the distributorpressure control logic L-80. The logic L-80 will open more nozzles 102using solenoid valves 112 as long as the pressure remains at or abovethe minimum pressure set-point. As the pressure at the pressuretransmitter 84 starts to drop below the minimum pressure, banks ofnozzles 102 are closed successively until the pressure stabilizes onceagain at or above the minimum pressure. To prevent excessive cycling ofthe valves 112, small dead-bands are integrated into the controller.Associated distributor logic allows the system to operate in manual modeso that the user can have individual access to each of the valves 112 ifnecessary.

The Reactor 90

Looking at FIG. 7, an embodiment of the porous ceramic media reactor 90is illustrated. The activated media 91 in the reaction tank 92 of thereactor 90 reacts with the effluent water W−I−E, particularly with theremaining organic and/or inorganic impurities R such as phenols, BTX,methanol and MTBE in the reactor 90. The activated media 91 used in thepresent invention has a particle size of 0.5 to 4 centimeters and ispreferably introduced into the reaction tank 92 of the reactor 90 inpellet form. An air supply system, hereinafter described, mixes theeffluent water W−I−E with the porous ceramic media 91 by injecting airinto the reaction tank 92 through an air inlet 93 to a header 94 with anarray of air distribution nozzles 95 at the bottom of the reaction tank92. The nozzles 95 upwardly disperse the air uniformly throughout thereaction tank 92. An agitator 96 may optionally be included in thereactor 90 to assist in mixing the effluent water W−I−E with the porousceramic media 91 in the reaction tank 92. The agitator 96 rotates abovethe array of nozzles 95 on a shaft 97, preferably driven by an electricmotor 98 typically in a range of up to approximately 180 rpm. Theeffluent water W−I−E is introduced via a water inlet 99 to adistribution header 101 and an array of water distribution nozzles 102at the top of the reaction tank 92. The nozzles 102 downwardly dispensethe water uniformly across the area of the reaction tank 92. The media91 is contained in compartments 103 in the reaction tank 92. Thecompartments 103 are formed by upper and lower horizontal perforatedplates 104 and 105 spaced along the height of the reaction tank 92 andvertical perforated baffles 106 spaced between pairs of the horizontalplates 104 and 105. The pairs of upper and lower horizontal plates 104and 105 form trays of media 91 spaced apart in the tank 92. Thecompartments 103 insure uniform distribution of the media 91 in the tank92 and reduce the likelihood of migration of the media 91 in the tank 92as the media 91 disintegrates into finer pieces. The treated water exitsthe reaction tank 92 through an outlet 107 at the bottom of the tank 92and the gaseous waste exits the tank 92 through an outlet 108 at the topof the tank 92.

The tank 92, plates 104 and 105 and baffles 106 may be of any suitablematerial including galvanized steel, stainless steel, aluminum, plasticor steel. However, plastics may not be suitable for some organicmaterials and steel may deteriorate. The perforations are preferablypunched or drilled holes of diameter suitable to retain the porousceramic media 91 evenly distributed in the plates 104 and 105 andbaffles 106. The agitator 96 is preferably stainless steel. The tank 92may be rectangular or cylindrical, the former being preferred for easeof manufacture. The residence time of the water W−I−E in the reactortank 92 is preferably about 30 minutes, but can vary from 5 minutes to24 hours, depending upon the application. Multiple reactors installed inseries or parallel may be required in certain applications.

Bypass and Backwash Systems 110 and 120

Turning now to FIG. 8, the reactor 90 may be equipped with a bypasssystem 110 and/or backwash system 120. In the by-pass system 110,multiple inlet water headers 111 are each controlled by a separatesolenoid valve 112 to introduce flow W−I−E between selected beds ofmedia 91 formed by the upper and lower plates 104 and 105. Thus, bedsfouled by oil or debris can be by-passed. In the backwash system 120,the reactor water outlet 107 has a block valve 121 with a T-joint 122connecting the clean water from the reactor 90 to multiple clean waterheaders 123 each controlled by a separate solenoid valve 124. Thispermits introduction of clean water or a cleaning solution into thereactor 90 to clean selected individual beds of media. As also seen inFIG. 8, the reactor 90 may be optionally equipped with an exhaust blower125 for those applications where the vent system has a high pressuredrop. The reactor 90 is also equipped with a combination pressure andvacuum safety valve 126 which protects the reactor 90 from over or underpressure. As seen in FIG. 8, the sludge drain block valve 132 in thereactor 90 facilitates the removal of sludge and media fines. The bottomof the reactor 90 is sloped toward a low point drain outlet connection137.

External Reactor Air Injector System 130

Looking at FIG. 9, one of several possible ways to direct air into thereactor 90 is illustrated. A positive displacement blower 127,optionally equipped with a motor with variable frequency drive tocontrol air flow rate if required, forces air into an external airheader 128 relative to the reactor 90 and through multiple rotameters129, which continuously monitor the air flow rate into the reactor 90.As an alternative to the rotameters 129, orifice plates havingpre-specified diameters sized to equalize pressure and therefore airflowinto the individual chambers may be used. As shown, the reactor 90 isdivided into vertical cells 109 consisting of stacks of beds of mediacontained in compartments 103 as seen in FIG. 7. A pressure transmitter131 and a local blowoff valve 132 are used to prevent over-pressuringthe inlet air header 128 or the rotameters 129. As shown, the flow tothe rotameters 129 may be controlled by separate solenoid valves 133 soas to most efficiently use the cells 109.

The Post-Reactor Distributor 140

The distributor 140 consisting of the post-reactor instrumentation andcontrols is illustrated in greater detail in FIG. 10. The water level inthe reactor 90 is maintained by a level controller 141 and a levelcontrol valve 142. A treated water transfer pump 143 draws suction fromthe bottom of the reactor 90. The temperature is monitored with atemperature transmitter 144 and the total organic content is monitoredwith a total organic content analyzer 145. If the total organic contentof the water pumped out of the reactor 90 fails to meet the requirementsof the treated water system, a flow valve 146 is opened to direct theflow to the reactor feed tank 70. The recycle flow rate to the reactorfeed tank 70 is continuously monitored by a flow transmitter 147. Forlong-term, substantial recycle flows, a feedback loop to the processinlet will be implemented to reduce feed to the system.

Protective Logic of the System

Turning now to FIG. 11, the field instrumentation, connective wiring,control valves, computer, distributed control system DCS andhuman-machine interface HMI, collectively hereinafter referred to as thecontrol system, for automatically controlling, safeguarding andmonitoring the water treatment process using instrumentation andcomputer-driven electronics is illustrated. The control system monitorsthe purity of the inlet stream and modifies process conditions and flowsonline so that the outlet stream meets required treated effluentspecifications. The DCS interfaces the field instrumentation with adatabase upon which various control algorithms are applied. Thisdatabase also interfaces with the HMI so that operators can monitoroperations, change setpoints, maintain the equipment, and initiatemanual shutdowns at their discretion. The HMI consists of a keyboard andvideo monitor attached to the DCS computer. It features a graphicalrepresentation of the process and graphical icons which serve asmonitors and controllers for the various process parameters. A physicalcontrol panel adjacent to the DCS and HMI has manual override switchesfor various control requirements.

As described in relation to FIGS. 1-10, the process is modular and veryflexible, facilitating operation on a wide range of feed qualities andquantities. The process and apparatus illustrated in FIG. 11 representsan operational scenario highlighting the functionality of the automatedcontrol system.

The reactor 90 receives the bottoms effluent from the reactor feed tank70. The final reaction occurs in the reactor 90 through a combination ofthe correct conditions and residence time. As seen in FIG. 10, thebottoms level controller 141 controls the net effluent rate from thereactor 90, which is the process module product. The temperaturetransmitter 144 measures the temperature of the direct reactor effluent.A low-low level indicator L-90 a works with the logic L-143 of thetreated water transfer pump 143 to shut down the transfer pump 143 ifthe tank level of the reactor 90 is low enough to jeopardize theintegrity of the transfer pump 143, which would occur if the pump 143were allowed to run dry. Low level and high level indicators L-90 c andL-90 d, respectively, serve as alarms to alert the user to abnormalconditions. A high-high level indicator L-90 b sends a signal to thereactor feed pump logic L-143 to shut down the recycle flow valve 146and also sends a message to the user's process control system that thewater treatment process module cannot take more feed for the moment. Thetransfer pump 143 supplies the motive force for the effluent from thereactor 90, which comprises both the net reactor treated effluent andthe recycle stream. Its continued operation is subject to certainconditions and shutdowns described above. The transfer pump 143 has acontrol-panel-located emergency shutdown button L-143 a, a field-locatedemergency shut-down button L-143 c and an automatic shutdown controlledby the feed pump logic L-143. When the transfer pump 143 is shut down byits logic L-143, a reset button L-143 b must be pressed before it can berestarted. This allows the user time to investigate the cause of theshut-down and avoids sudden re-starts before causation is established.

Looking at FIG. 9, the positive displacement blower 127 introduces airas an oxidant to the reactor beds. The reactor 90 is the tertiary andfinal separation section of the module. A flow controller 134 receivesan air flow signal from a flow transmitter 136 and remote set-point fromratio controller 135 which holds the total air going into the reactor 90at a constant ratio with the process feed rate measured by the flowcontroller 25 seen in FIG. 2. The ratio calculation logic L-120, seen inFIG. 9, calculates the ratio of reactor air to feed for the feed/reactorair ratio controller 135. While the user may enter the ratio set-pointdirectly into the controller 135, this can be remotely set if it can bedetermined that the ratio has a direct effect on the total organiccontent reading of the analyzer 145 on the direct effluent from thereactor 90, as seen in FIG. 10. The pressure of the air to the reactorbeds is measured by the pressure transmitter 131. Fixed orifices may beused rather than flow valves in order to automatically flow-balance thesystem and the air nozzle banks may be constructed to correspond to thereactor feed nozzle banks and be shut down in parallel with the sameminimum pressure nozzle bank outputs of the reactor feed pressurecontroller L-80.

Returning to FIG. 10, the reactor treated effluent recycle loop iscontrolled by the flow controller 147 which receives a cascaded remoteset-point from the total organic content analyzer/controller 145 for thetreated effluent. Should the total organic content of the reactortreated effluent exceed the maximum acceptable value, the controller 145will attempt to bring the value down by recycling reactor effluent tothe reactor feed tank 70. It is expected that the additional reactionexposure and residence time will reduce the total organic content tospecified levels. Should the recycle prove excessive, such that thelevel in the reactor 90 cannot be controlled, a signal is sent to theuser's process control system indicating that the water treatment modulecannot continue successful operation at the current feed rate.Alternatively, if the system front end is being operated on a flow basisrather than level control basis, this same signal would instead be sentto alert the user that the feed rate needs to be lowered, or thatprocess problems are arising. The signal can also be used in aconstraint control configuration where the feed flow rate is manipulatedgradually to the point that the net reactor effluent is just meetingminimum product standards. This would automatically optimize throughputwhile maintaining operability.

In summary of the system logic, if one or both of the total organiccontent and total suspended solids are too high to process, inlet flowto the reactor is terminated. If both are very low and meet effluentspecifications, the treatment process is bypassed. If the totalsuspended solids are creating high filter dP, a warning is sounded toinitiate a backwash and filter swap. If the total suspended solids afterfiltration are high, flow to the system is terminated to avoid plugging.The total organic content at the reactor inlet is measured forcalculations which determine the optimum amount of air to inject at thebottom of the reactor. The total organic content at the reactor outletis measured for monitoring purposes only. If the total organic contentmeasured at the reactor outlet is slightly high, a warning that thereactor is not working properly should be sounded. If it is very highreactor effluent can be recycled back to the reactor feed tank.

The Process

Thus, looking again at FIG. 1, the process of treating effluent water Wfrom a hydrocarbon processing facility comprises the steps of removingfree oil components I_(o) from the effluent water W in feedsurge/settling tank 10, filtering solids I_(s) out in a primaryseparator 30, removing emulsion type oil components E using naphtha ornatural gas or air in a secondary separator 50 and reacting theremaining effluent stream with porous ceramic media in the reaction tank92 of the reactor 90 to remove organic and/or inorganic impurities Rsuch as phenols and other hydrocarbons. The process also utilizessupplemental equipment, instrumentation and controls such as describedin relation to the various tanks 10, 31, 51 and 70 and distributors 20,40, 60, 80 and 140 to monitor, control and, if necessary, bypass orterminate flow of water to be treated by the separators 30 and 50 andthe reactor 90, as well as flow of other materials to facilitateefficient operation of the system and particularly the reactor 90.

It is, therefore, apparent that there has been provided, in accordancewith the invention, a process and apparatus for treatment of effluentwater that fully satisfies the objects, aims and advantages set forthabove. While the invention has been described in conjunction withspecific embodiments thereof, it will be evident that many alternatives,modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart and in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it isintended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variationsas fall within the spirit of the appended claims.

1. For treating effluent water, a process comprising the steps of:feeding a stream of effluent water to a reactor filled with porousceramic media; removing organic and inorganic impurities from theeffluent water into the porous ceramic media; and dispensing a remainderof the effluent water stream from the reactor in an outlet stream.
 2. Aprocess according to claim 1, said step of removing comprising absorbingthe impurities into the media.
 3. A process according to claim 1, saidstep of removing comprising oxidizing the impurities into the media. 4.A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of separatinginsoluble oil components from the effluent water stream prior to feedingthe stream to the porous ceramic media filled reactor.
 5. A processaccording to claim 1 further comprising the step of separating insolubleinorganic solids and sediments from the effluent water prior to feedingthe stream to the porous ceramic media filled reactor.
 6. A processaccording to claim 1 further comprising the step of separating emulsionoil components from the effluent water stream prior to feeding thestream to the porous ceramic media filled reactor.
 7. A processaccording to claim 6 further comprising the step of separating insolubleoil components from the effluent water stream prior to separating theemulsion oil components from the effluent water stream.
 8. A processaccording to claim 6, the reactor being filled with ceramic.
 9. Aprocess according to claim 1 further comprising the step of monitoring atotal organic content of the feed stream upstream of the reactor.
 10. Aprocess according to claim 9 further comprising the step ofautomatically by-passing the reactor in response to a determination thatthe total organic content of the feed stream upstream of the reactor isless than a predetermined standard.
 11. A process according to claim 1further comprising the step of monitoring a total suspended solidscontent of the feed stream upstream of the reactor.
 12. A processaccording to claim 11 further comprising the step of automaticallyby-passing the reactor in response to a determination that the totalsuspended solids content of the feed stream upstream of the reactorexceeds a predetermined maximum.
 13. A process according to claim 1further comprising the steps of: monitoring a total organic content ofthe feed stream upstream of the reactor; and monitoring a totalsuspended solids content of the feed stream upstream of the reactor. 14.A process according to claim 13 further comprising the step ofautomatically by-passing the reactor in response to one of adetermination that the total organic content and the total suspendedsolids content of the feed stream upstream of the reactor is less than apredetermined standard.
 15. A process according to claim 13 furthercomprising the step of automatically calculating, using the monitoredtotal organic content and the total feed stream flow rate upstream ofthe reactor, the optimum air flow rate and feed stream residence time inthe reactor.
 16. A process according to claim 9 further comprising thestep of automatically terminating flow of the feed stream to the reactorin response to a determination that the total organic content of thefeed stream upstream of the reactor is greater than a predeterminedmaximum.
 17. A process according to claim 11 further comprising the stepof automatically terminating flow of the feed stream to the reactor inresponse to a determination that the total suspended solids content ofthe feed stream upstream of the reactor is greater than a predeterminedmaximum.
 18. A process according to claim 13 further comprising the stepof automatically terminating flow of the feed stream to the reactor inresponse to a determination of one of the total organic content and thetotal suspended solids content of the feed stream upstream of thereactor as being greater than its respective predetermined maximum. 19.A process according to claim 1 further comprising the step of monitoringa total organic content of the feed stream downstream of the reactor.20. A process according to claim 19 further comprising the step ofautomatically returning the downstream feed stream to the upstream feedstream in response to determination that the total organic content ofthe feed stream downstream of the reactor exceeds a predeterminedstandard.
 21. A reactor for treating effluent water comprising: achamber containing pellets of porous ceramic media material; a firstinlet port for receiving the effluent water into said chamber; a secondinlet port for admitting an oxidizing agent into said chamber; a firstoutlet port for discharging air and combustion products from saidchamber; and a second outlet port for discharging a remainder of theeffluent water from said chamber.
 22. A reactor according to claim 21,said pellets being stored in a vertical stack of sub chambers defined byat least one horizontal perforated tray dividing said chamber.
 23. Areactor according to claim 22, the effluent water being admitted fromabove said stack, said oxidizing agent being admitted from below saidstack, the air and combustion products being discharged from above saidstack and said remainder of the effluent water being discharged frombelow said stack.
 24. A reactor according to claim 21, said pelletsbeing stored in a horizontal chain of sub chambers defined by at leastone vertical perforated baffle.
 25. A reactor according to claim 24, theeffluent water being admitted from above said chain, said oxidizingagent being admitted from below said chain, the air and combustionproducts being discharged from above said chain and said remainder ofthe effluent water being discharged from below said chain.